CHAPTER 1: BANQUET

Tonight, the underground world buzzed with power and hidden motives.

In a luxurious crowded banquet, chandeliers glittered, and the air was filled with murmurs of wealth and power.

A low elegant music rang in the background.

A tall, slender masked man walked in, clad in a black suit, and was followed by a few men dressed in black.

His every movement was a mystery. He radiated an aura of invisibility with precise and deadly control.

The room quieted with his entrance.

Some approached him.

"Little Swan." A scar-faced brunette called. "You're finally here." He said roughly.

Little Swan nodded slightly without saying a word. He walked over to a corner and sat elegantly.

He ignored the gazes around him.

After mingling in the circle for so many years, Little Swan was used to the attention he got from his every arrival, and it no longer affected him.

His men flanked him as he rested his chin on his palm and closed his eyes.

The main activity for tonight was yet to begin, and nothing else mattered.

Seeing Little Swan's action, the crowds also turned to leave.

They knew better than to annoy him.

In Little Swan's safe corner, his mind wandered as he pondered his business tonight.

"Is everything prepared?" His low voice rang.

The moment he spoke, the man behind him stilled—like the sound itself was dangerous.

Strangely, Little Swan's voice was neither rough nor deep..

Instead, it was a voice that gave someone a sense of peace and comfort.

His voice was melodious and inherently beautiful, but no one had ever tried to notice this.

Or maybe they valued their lives too much to dare appreciate the wonderful voice.

"It is." The man replied.

He stood closer to Little Swan, indicating their closeness.

"We will act before the end of the banquet. I heard the Northerns are vying for it, too." The man explained.

Little Swan's eyes opened as his brows furrowed slightly. "Why would the Northern district need this?" He asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Isn't it known that the Northern district doesn't keep omegas? Everyone knows about these rules..." He trailed off as he rubbed his temple.

"Do they know about us?"

"No." The man replied.

Little Swan's brows settled. He was silent for a moment as his eyes searched through the room.

The calmness in his eyes was unwavering, but his mind was anything but settled.

The newly developed chemical couldn't be acquired by anyone else.

Little Swan knew how long he'd been waiting for this chemical. The only chemical in the world that could permanently hide his floral scent and stop unwanted heat.

The only chemical that would finally give him the control and power he needed.

No one else in the world would ever find out about his real secondary gender.

He, Little Swan, was a beta, and this fact would be the only truth in the future.

"Make preparations. If we don't get it legally, we get it by force." He mumbled as he closed his eyes again.

The man nodded. His fingers pressed something in his ear as he whispered some words.

The low murmuring of the banquet returned.

Little Swan's presence no longer affected them much, and his silence was like an approval for them to continue their fun.

The chandeliers flickered, and two figures walked up the stage.

A middle-aged man and a woman.

The two held hands and had kind smiles on their faces as they glanced at the crowds.

They nodded their heads toward Little Swan's corner.

"Hello, everyone."

The atmosphere quietened. Little Swan's eyes opened.

"I expect we are all here for the h962. The only chemical in the world that could protect our omegas from the clutch of rogue alphas out there."

"This chemical has the capability of preventing heat and covering their scents..."

Little Swan calmly played with his fingers. He didn't seem to be listening much.

Most of the things said on the stage were what he already knew, and he also knew that wasn't the true effect of h962.

A chemical produced for a duration of 5000 years... Even the earlier recipe had been lost over time.

This was a chemical that might never be produced again in this world and a powerful one that could throw the underworld into chaos.

He was determined to get it at all costs.

"We only produced one, and honestly, we still don't know when the next could be produced..."

"I will offer a casino in the south." A deep and magnetic voice rang, disrupting the air and the speaker.

All eyes fell on the figure standing at the entrance.

It was a tall and slender young man with a strikingly handsome face.

A tiny scar ran from his left brow to the corner of his left eye, giving him a demonic air and domineering presence.

Clad in a black shirt with a few buttons open, he walked in with a few men walking behind him.

A playful smile lingered on his face as his black eyes settled on Little Swan, who was sitting in a corner.

"I can take that, right?" He asked provocatively. "It's not like you have enough to pay for it." He mocked.

Little Swan's eyes, which were always calm, shone with coldness the moment he saw the man.

He frowned deeply, and the air swiftly tensed.

"Cassian." He called through gritted teeth.

Cassian, Little Swan's only archenemy... or so the world thought.

Cassian's smile turned into a smirk as he approached Little Swan and sat a few seats away from him.

"What? Did that annoy you?" Cassian beckoned to the men behind him. "I could gift you a beauty as compensation or what do you think?"

A beauty walked over and sat on Cassian's lap.

The beauty's arms wrapped around Cassian's neck as Cassian's lips curled, showing a contemptuous smile.

"But then again, you are too old-fashioned and stiff. No beauty would want to keep your company." He said helplessly as his hands explored the beauty's waist publicly.

The beauty whined as shyness crept onto his face.

The banquet became Cassian's show ground.

From the moment he stepped into the room, the guests had all pulled aside, and even the hosts were quiet.

Everyone knew about the hatred between Little Swan, the quiet devil, and Cassian, the brutal devil. No one wanted to be caught in the fire.

The air around Little Swan turned increasingly colder.

His hands clenched into a fist as he looked at the hand on the beauty's waist, and his blood boiled.

He should look away. He didn't.

Little Swan's heart ached. Looking at the beauty's body, which relied heavily on Cassian's, he found his hands slipping out of his control.

'Kill.' This was the only word that kept ringing in his brain.

Little Swan lost it.

He drew his gun, and it fired.

Gasps filled the air.

Everyone was stunned.

Cassian's face darkened.

"Little Duck!" He shouted as he stood up and brought out his gun. "Was that shot meant for me?!" He asked angrily.

Little Swan's men retaliated.

Cassian's men did the same.

The two groups faced each other, but Little Swan made no further movement.

He stared at the gun in his hand and at the dead beauty on the ground. His head was a total mess.

Shots resounded in the room.

But Little Swan wasn't making a move.

The closest man to Little Swan grabbed his hand and tried to pull him behind, but it was too late.

Cassian's bullet pierced Little Swan's heart.

Little Swan's eyes widened.

He dazedly raised his head, and his eyes fell on that familiar demonic face.

He shook his head. His lips parted... like he wanted to say something.

Nothing came out..

Little Swan's eyes slowly closed.

"Boss!" His men screamed.